Application Checklist

Online Application

Our PhD Program is full-time only. We do not offer a part-time course of study. The average completion time is five years.

All applicants must use the online application technology. Columbia Business School’s Doctoral Program does not distribute hard-copy applications.

Transcripts

A bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, representing a four-year course of study in an accredited college or university, is required for admission.

A master’s degree is not required, although many applicants have a master’s degree in such fields as economics, engineering, psychology, and statistics. Superior academic performance is expected. Those who hold American PhD or ScD degrees or their foreign equivalents are not normally eligible for admission. (Occasionally, an exception to this rule can be arranged.)

Application Fee

An application fee of $100 in the form of a credit or debit card must be submitted in tandem with your application.

An application is not considered complete until the fee has been paid. You may use Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover when using our online application.

GMAT or GRE

All applicants to all Divisions may take either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).

References

Two referees willing to complete letters of recomendation. These are submittable online and through post.

Enrollment Commitment Deposit

Students admitted to the program are required to pay a deposit to reserve a place in the entering class. This commitment deposit can be waived for an applicant who is already a registered student at Columbia University. For those students receiving financial aid, this deposit is refunded after the successful completion of one term in the program; it is not refundable in the event that the admitted student fails to register at the School.

Application Deadline

A complete application containing all required components must be submitted no later than the deadline of January 5, 2014, for Fall 2014 entry. Applications received after this date will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. Fall is the only entrance date. Applications are not reviewed on a rolling basis. All applications are reviewed together after the January 5 deadline.

Doctoral Program News

Honigsberg featured in Ideas at Work

The August issue of Ideas at Work features research that doctoral candidate Colleen Honigsberg led in conjunction with Sharon Katz.

Top Ten Doctoral Admissions Questions

What English equivalency exams do you accept? How do I exempt from this requirement?

International students who do not have a degree from an institution in which all instruction is conducted in English must take either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), PTE (Pearson Test of English), or IELTS ( International English Language Testing System). You may be exempted from the TOEFL, PTE, or IELTS only if you have earned a degree from an institution in which English is the language of instruction only degrees earned before the start date of the program of application will be given this waiver. We will not accept requests for exceptions to this policy.

Do you have a minimum grade point average?

We do not. Our review process is holistic and we review each transcript in depth to analysis individual courses as well as the grade point average.

What is the minimum or average score on the GRE and GMAT?

We do not have minimum score requirements for applicants, and do not make admissions decisions based solely on test scores. Most admitted students score 90 percent and upward on each section of the standardized exam of their choice.

Can I apply to more than one division?

Students are permitted to apply to one divisions per application period. You are welcome to apply to one of our five divisions: Accounting, Decision, Risk and Operations, Finance and Economics, Management, or Marketing. If you are having a difficult time finding a division suiting your interests, a more nuanced understanding of these fields can be seen in the areas of expertise of the Business School’s faculty research.

Should I contact faculty before I apply?

Contacting faculty prior to application is not necessary or recommended. Faculty receive hundreds of emails from prospective students and regret that they are unable to respond to all inquiries. Prospective students are encouraged to learn about faculty and doctoral student research using the following the directory.

What official materials do you require?

We do not require official transcripts or test scores for application to the Program. Applicants are asked to upload transcripts and self-report test scores using our online application technology. If a student is admitted we ask that all official copies of the uploaded documents be submitted and verified.

How do I apply?

Apply using our online application. We ask that you do not send any documents directly to the School, all materials can be submitted online. Please comply with the posted application deadlines, being sure to include all required components of the application.

How many students will you accept this year?

The aim of our Program is to accept 23 students per year (Accounting: 4, DRO: 4, Finance: 6, Management: 5, Marketing: 4).

Is there an advantage to applying early?

We review all applications after the posted deadlines. However, we encourage applicants submit early enough to give their recommenders time to submit their letters and evaluations.

Can I reapply to the Doctoral Program?

We do not accept reapplications requests as the application is completely online. Applicants are welcome to apply again using a new essay, and updated materials. Many admitted students have applied before and are successful because they updated their materials and showed us the progress that was made since their last application.

Profiles: PhD Students

Shiri MelumadMarketing
When asked about the Program's sense of community Shiri says: “There is a tight-knit community amongst the marketing students, and the relationships I have formed have been both professionally and personally rewarding.